Gina Davis, [email protected], 202-864-2934
Zack Cohen, [email protected], 404-821-0572
WASHINGTON – Early childhood leaders with ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring infants and toddlers have a strong start in life, are urging policymakers to preserve the quality standards that have made Head Start and Early Head Start among the nation’s most effective early childhood programs. They are considered the gold standard for early learning and comprehensive support services for young children from low-income families.
The proposed rollback runs counter to decades of evidence showing that strong performance standards improve quality and outcomes for children and families. Among the changes, the rule would eliminate many requirements for prenatal and postpartum services in Early Head Start, and critical mental health supports for children and families.
Melissa Boteach, ZERO TO THREE’s chief policy officer, expressed deep concern about the proposal’s impact on babies, families and the future of high-quality early childhood programs:
“Head Start’s guiding standards are foundational to what makes these programs so effective for young children and their families. Without them, we risk undoing decades of progress and weakening a comprehensive two-generation approach that helps babies thrive. Rolling back access to mental health services, pre- and post-partum supports, and evidence-based standards that help keep children safe and engaged would diminish a program that has earned bipartisan support since the 1960s.”
“For Head Start parents like Ana Castillo, a military veteran in Florida, and Amanda Jacks, an infant and early childhood mental health consultant in Ohio, these standards are not abstract policy. They shape the care, services, and support their families rely on. During pivotal moments, both families found not only high-quality early learning but also health, developmental, and family supports that helped their children flourish and strengthened their families’ stability. That’s what these standards protect, and it’s why preserving them matters.”
“ZERO TO THREE urges the Administration to maintain and protect the standards that give babies and young children in Head Start the strongest possible start in life.”
